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Blasts strike Nairobi shortly after tourist warnings

As the death toll mounts from a wave of militant violence, Kenya's Somali community says it's being unfairly targetted in a security crackdown - and its tourism industry takes another hit as tourists are advised to leave. David Pollard reports.

Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY
1:37 p.m. EDT May 16, 2014

Police walk past a damaged public transport vehicle at the scene of an explosion on May 16, 2014 on the outskirts of Nairobi's business district where twin explosions claimed at least 10 lives.(Photo: TONY KARUMBA AFP/Getty Images)

(USA TODAY) -- Two explosions struck the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday, killing as many as 10 people and injuring 70, authorities said.

The blasts came just hours after Britain's Foreign Office urged tourists to leave the country following what it said was a "high threat from terrorism, including kidnapping."

On Twitter, Kenya's National Disaster Operation Center said Friday that one blast targeted a mini-van that Kenyans use for public transportation. It said a second blast went off in a market.

Before the blasts, the U.S. Embassy sent out a new travel alert Friday to American citizens warning of a continued terrorist threat in a country where the U.S. Embassy suffered a devastating attack in 1998.

At least 67 people were killed when gunmen linked to the Somali militant group al-Shabab attacked a mall in Nairobi in September last year. Since the mall attack, Kenya has suffered numerous smaller bombings in Nairobi and Mombasa.

Contributing: Associated Press

People gather at the scene of an explosion as police officers inspect a minibus that exploded in Nairobi's Gikomba market. Two explosions at the busy market on May 16. Daniel Irungu, epa

British tourists prepare to leave the country at the international airport in Mombasa. The British government warned its citizens to avoid Mombasa and nearby beach towns, prompting a travel company to cut short the vacations of hundreds of British citizens and fly them home. AP